


We Love Fiercely

by can_i_slytherin



Series: Lock-down Writing Challenge [24]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Boys Kissing, Fluff and Angst, Good Regulus Black, Idiots in Love, Insecurity, James Potter is a drama queen, Love, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Regulus Black Needs a Hug, Romantic Gestures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23699686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/can_i_slytherin/pseuds/can_i_slytherin
Summary: Regulus feels a little insecure, James makes a grand gesture to prove his love for him.
Relationships: Regulus Black/James Potter
Series: Lock-down Writing Challenge [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676824
Comments: 8
Kudos: 185





	We Love Fiercely

**Author's Note:**

> Day Twenty-Four of my challenge and my generator gave me Jegulus. 
> 
> Enjoy! Comments and Kudos always welcome! 
> 
> Happy Reading!

Regulus and James had gotten together, in secret, in the summer between James' sixth and seventh year. Regulus had run away from Grimmauld Place with his brother, both deciding that they no longer wanted to live in that house, and had grown closer with James over the summer months, eventually to the point that they were dancing around each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. 

It had eventually been James that made the move, summoning all of his Gryffindor courage to pull Regulus into a chaste kiss whilst Sirius was in the bathroom. From that point onwards, they'd been in a relationship, keeping it secret from everyone until they were both ready for them to know. 

But, it had been almost a year since the start of their relationship and Regulus was beginning to get restless, seeing everyone else holding hands and being romantic broke his heart because his boyfriend, the person that he loved, didn’t want to do the same with him, even after a year of being together.

The moments that they did have together were incredible, the tender kisses and soft touches. The heated glances across the Hall at dinner time, the moments between classes where they’d find a hidden alcove and make out until they were breathless. It was incredible. But, James held back, didn’t give it his all. Didn’t give as much as Regulus did and that was the worst part. He could  _ feel  _ James hesitating, could feel the uncertainty in his touches and it broke him. 

Part of him, a dark insecure part, wondered if James even meant what he said over the summer, if he even wanted to be in a relationship with him or whether it was some kind of sick thrill at the supposedly forbidden relationship- a Slytherin and a Gryffindor was bad enough, but your best friend’s younger brother, that must have crossed some invisible line in the Bro Code- as James called it. 

Regulus loved fiercely, he knew that much and even his platonic love was strong and unyielding, so his romantic love was so much worse. He loved so much that his heart hurt, that his chest felt fit to burst. He was totally devoted and loyal. But, the idea that that love might not be returned shattered his heart and made his chest ache, not in a good way, either. 

So, Regulus did what any normal, mature person would do, he hid. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea, he probably should have talked to James about his feelings, but in a fit of anger and upset, he decided that he’d be better to not see James at all. Although, there was the fact that, if he was about to have his heart broken, he needed time to prepare himself for it. Distance himself from James so that when the inevitable happened, it wouldn’t hurt as much. 

Regulus was wandering through the corridors of the Seventh Floor when a hand curled around his bicep and tugged him through a door, shoving him back against it, their hands on his hips. His fingers curled around his wand, but stopped when he heard a familiar voice in his ear. 

“It’s me.” James whispered softly, rubbing soothing circles into Regulus’ hips. 

The Slytherin groaned and dropped his head back against the door, sighing heavily. So much for avoiding him, “Yes, I see that, thank you.” He snarked. 

James recoiled in shock, frowning in concern, “Who pissed in your cornflakes?” 

Regulus shoved the Gryffindor away and stepped further into the room, leaning back against a pillar in the centre of the room, arms crossed over his chest, “Always so elegant.” 

“Seriously, Reg.” The Gryffindor took a step forward, frowning when Regulus took a step to the side to keep the distance between them, “Have I done something?” 

Regulus rolled his eyes, “It’s more what you  _ haven’t  _ done.” 

The messy-haired wizard cocked his head to the side in confusion, “I don’t understand.” 

The Slytherin scoffed and shook his head, soft curls falling into his eyes, “No,” He growled, “I didn’t think you would.” 

James took another step forward and growled in annoyance when Regulus took another step back, “STOP WALKING AWAY FROM ME.” 

Regulus narrowed his eyes and took another step back, as if to prove a point, “What are you gonna do? Make me?” 

“If that’s what it takes, yes.” James replied, a determined sparkle in his eyes, “Talk to me, Reg.” 

Regulus curled his arms tighter around his stomach, “I don’t think I want to.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” James snarled, eyes darkening briefly with his anger, “I’m your boyfriend, I care about you and I want to help.” 

“Loose term that. Boyfriend.” Regulus replied, jutting his jaw out in defiance, “Dirty Little Secret might be a better name.” 

James recoiled, blinking owlishly at him, “What?” 

“You heard me.” 

The Gryffindor narrowed his eyes, “Yes, I know I did. I’m just trying to work out where you got that from.” 

“Oh, maybe the fact that it’s been  _ a year  _ since we’ve got together and you’re still wanting to keep us a secret. You’re so hesitant and uncertain with me, it’s like you don’t even want me. It’s like you’re regretting even getting with me in the first place.” He ranted, tugging a hand through his hair and pulling sharply on the strands.

“I do want to be with you!” James urged, “I do!” 

Regulus rolled his eyes, “You’ve got a bloody funny way of showing it.” 

James took a step forward and growled when Regulus took another step away, “Reggie, don’t be like this. We agreed that we’d wait until everyone was ready!” 

“That was a year ago, James!” He yelled, pacing back and forth in front of James, “They’re more than ready! It’s you that’s not ready, for whatever reason and I understood at the start of our relationship, you were scared about losing Siri and your parents. But, James, they love you, they care about you. They’d accept you, they’d accept us!” 

“I know.” James hissed, “I know!” 

Regulus crossed his arms over his chest and threw James an unimpressed look, “So, why are you still hiding me?! Why are we still keeping this a secret?!” 

“I don’t know!” James yelled, tugging a hand through his hair in frustration. 

“I do.” Regulus growled, his voice dangerously low, “I do. You’re embarrassed by me. You’re just with me for the thrill of sneaking around behind everyone’s backs.” 

“That’s not true!” James whimpered as Regulus pushed past him, heading towards the door. 

The Slytherin’s hand froze on the door knob and he turned to look at him over his shoulder, “Then prove it.” 

James stood, stock-still, as Regulus walked from the room, shutting the door behind him with such a sense of finality that James knew immediately what he had to do and he knew exactly when to do it. 

  
  
  
  


When James entered the Great Hall for dinner that evening, it was with a cloud of nervousness hanging above his head, but he took a deep breath, pushing it aside and calling on his Gryffindor courage. 

He smiled softly at Sirius as he walked past the table, heading straight for the staff table, “Excuse me, Headmaster.” James whispered as he approached Dumbledore, “Would I be able to make an announcement?” 

Dumbledore smiled warmly, a knowing twinkle in his eyes, and nodded towards the podium, “Go ahead.” 

James smiled thankfully and stepped up to the podium, casting a sonorous charm before speaking, “Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” The Hall fell immediately silent and thousands of eyes turned to him, staring expectantly, “That’s not creepy at all.” 

He took a deep breath, gaze finding Regulus’ amongst the sea of green from the Slytherin table, “I need to tell you all something. For the past year, I’ve been in a relationship, a secret one. At first, we thought that it would be better for our friends, so that they wouldn’t react negatively in a certain way.” His gaze fell to the Marauders and he threw the three of them a sheepish smile, shrugging his shoulders when Sirius gave him a questioning look. 

He drew his gaze back to the room, eyes roving over everyone’s faces, seeing the undisguised interest in their eyes, and he chuckled softly, continuing on with his speech, “Over the last few months, I think I’ve known that they wouldn’t have a bad reaction to it. But, still I kept him a secret, because I wanted to keep him as my own.” He pulled his eyes back to Regulus’, brown clashing with grey, and smiled warmly as he stepped away from the Professors, slowly walking towards the end of the Slytherin table. 

“I didn’t want to share him with everyone, I wanted our relationship to be our own without everyone being nosy. But, he told me something today and it kicked me into action because, by keeping him a secret, I was losing him and I don’t want that.” He ignored the scandalised whispers as he dropped Regulus’ pronoun and continued to walk towards his boyfriend, a soft, loving smile on his face. 

“I want to keep him, I want to love him until we’re old and grey, I just want him, the rest of the world be damned. I want you all today to know who it is, to know who finally tamed the great James Potter.” James came to stop in front of Regulus, who had been tracking his every movement with undisguised affection in his eyes, and smiled softly, “I want them to know you, Reg.”

“I FUCKING KNEW IT!” Sirius yelled from across the Hall and the Gryffindor-Slytherin due chuckled at his antics. 

“Shut the fuck up, Pads.They’re having a moment.” Remus hissed and James felt a swell of gratitude for him. 

“Right, sorry.” Sirius replied, “GET IT LITTLE BRO!” 

Regulus rolled his eyes and turned to James, a look of pure devotion settled in the depths of his silver-grey irises, “You’re for real?” 

“I’m for real.” James whispered, “Regulus Arcturus Black, I love you with all my heart and I want everyone here, in this Hall, to know it. I want to show you off to the world. You’re perfect. You’re funny and goofy. You’re smart and also a little silly. You match me quip for quip. You put up with my craziness. You’re fucking beautiful, Reg, literally- you’re stunning. I’m so lucky to call you mine and I want everyone to know exactly that. You’re mine and I’m yours.” 

“James?” Regulus whispered, rising from his seat to stand in front of his boyfriend, gaze unreadable, and fought to keep his smile off his face. 

James swallowed audibly, the rest of the world falling away as he stared into the eyes of his lover, hands shaking with nerves, and cancelled his sonorous before speaking, “Yeah?” He replied, voice cracking slightly. 

“Shut up and kiss me.” Regulus grinned and pulled James down into a chaste kiss, ignoring the roars and wolf-whistles that erupted throughout the Hall. 

He focused instead on the urgency with which James kissed him, the way that he cradled his face with one hand and gripped his hip with the other, scared that, if he let go, he’d disappear. He focused on the love and devotion in the press of James’ lips and the soft noises that he made as they kissed. 

Regulus grinned breaking the kiss and chuckled softly, burying his face in James’ neck as he blushed, “You just kissed me in front of the  _ entire  _ school.” 

“I know.” James breathed, a chuckle of disbelief falling from his lips, “Was that enough proof for you?” 

Regulus smirked, “I don’t know. I might need a little more.” 

James’ eyes flashed dangerously, “I’ll give you a lot more if we get back to one of our dorms.” 

Regulus grinned and tugged James towards the doors to the Great Hall, glaring at his brother when he wolf-whistled. 

“GET SOME REGGIE!” Sirius yelled, eyes alright with mischief. 

“Suck a cock, Siri!” Regulus shot back, rolling his eyes when his brother wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before pouting and shooting a longing look at Remus. 

“I would, but Moony won’t let me.” He retorted, grinning when Remus nearly choked on his tea. 

James snorted and tugged softly at Regulus’ hand, “Just give him the puppy dog eyes, they always work. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we got places to go and people to do.” 

“James Charlus Potter, you’re a heathen.” Regulus replied, with no real heat to his words. 

“You love it.” James responded, grinning at Regulus’ softened expression. 

“Yeah, I do. But, I’d much rather go and make use of your empty dorm room.” Regulus replied, smirking when James shuddered and nodded softly. 

Despite all the misunderstandings, Regulus was happy that they’d managed to pull through and come out the other side, even stronger than they were before.


End file.
